Attachment for finger-bars of mowers or harvesters.



Patented ma l3, I902.

w. GATERMANN.

ATTACHMENT FUR FINGER BARS 0F MUWERS UR HABVE$TERS..

(Application filed May 8, 1901.)

(N0 Model.)

'r cams wzrzns 00 FnoTaLrrHo" wnsmmrmu. n. c.

with the pea-harvesting attachments shown UNITED STATES 1 PATENT "@rricn.

WILLIAM GATERMANN, OF NEWTON, WISCONSIN.

ATTACHMENT FOR FINGER-BARS OF MOWERS OR HARVESTERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 700,029, dated May 13, 1902. Application filed May 8,1901. Serial No. 59,239. ea model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM GATERMANN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Newton, in the county of Manitowoc and State of \Visconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Attachments for Finger-Bars of Mowers or Harvesters; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to devices adaptedto be attached to the finger-bars of mowers or harvesters; and it consists in certain improvements on the attachments shown in my prior patent, No. 655,339, dated August 7, 1900, as will be fully set forth hereinafter in connection with the accompanying drawings and subsequently claimed.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of my present improvements, partly in section on the line 1 l of Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a plan view of said parts, partly in section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a detached plan view of the castingwhich supports the guard, and Fig. 4 isa detail transverse sectional view taken on the lineet 4 of Fig. 1.

In fitting up mower or reaper finger-bars in my said prior patent it is found at times that the knife-guards are longer or shorter than those of the average length for which my said attachments are especially designed; and the object of my present invention is to obviate the inconvenience resulting from this state of facts and provide adjustable means to accommodate this varying length of said knife-guards.

Referring to the drawings, a represents the platform of the machine to which my attachments are to be applied, and b the finger-bar, while 0 represents one of the knife-guards, beneathwhich parts is located a casting d, provided with longitudinal slots 6 f for the passage therethrough and longitudinal adj ustment of bolts g'h, as hereinafter described. The casting-d is further formed with an offset rear projection ?I, having a perforation in its rear end, whereby the said end of the casting may be secured to the platform a by a bolt j and suitable nut. The said casting d is further formed with a thin vertical pointed head is, between which and the said rear projection 11 the casting is provided with a longituobliquely-inclined lifting-arm q, designed to raise pea-vines or lodged grain, as the case may be, said arm having a downwardly-projecting hollow extension r, which receives the upper end'of a coiled spring 5, whose lower end encircles the described stud n on the cast ing d, and the said casting-headk is pivotally nuts w :rjwhereby when said bolt has been longitudinally adjusted within said slot it is tightened to place, said nut permitting also of any desired vertical adjustment. It sometimes happens that the knife-guards of a mower or harvester are too short to reach this bolt, and to enable my device to be conveniently used in such cases I provide a clamp or casing y, having a hole or slot 2 therein. This casing has two edge extensions in line with said'slot, and these extend over the described side ribs of the casting d, the rear end of said casing fitting between the described ears m m and the front end of'said casing having a downturned lip which fits between said ribs of the casting, as shown inFigs. 1 and 2, whereby the casing is held against lateral movement when it is'secured in place by the bolt g, whose head isfitted within the easing-slot 2. When this device is used with a short guard c, the forward end or point of said guard is received within the rear end of the casing 1 and if the guard is longer then its point extends within the opening 1; in the bolt u, as already described, this being clearly indicated by the two dotted representations of guard-points shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and marked 1 and 2, respectively. When the guards c are bolted to the finger-bar b of the machine, a longer bolt his substituted for the original bolt, so as to have the said bolt pass through the slot f in the casting d and be secured by nuts, as shown; but if it be found that the guards are riveted to the finger-bar then the rear attachment of the casting (1 may.

belmade by thedescribed bolt j,passed through a hole made in the platform a, and secured by a nut, as already described, and thus it will be seen that by my present improvements my attachments can be secured to any ordinary mower or harvester irrespective of the length or original attachment of the knife-guards in such machine.

The operation of my present attachments is in all essential respects the same as in my prior patent hereinbefore referred to, same being designed for use in the harvesting of peas by an ordinary mower or harvester, as

well as in the cutting of lodged grain, and I have not deemed it necessary to illustrate the swath-removing fingers in the present drawings, as the same would be in substance identical with those shown in said patent, and practically the same arrangement and attachment of parts herein illustrated would be employed for the entire series of guards on the finger-bar, including the outer guard, where the backward-extending inclined arm of the outer shoe on the grain side would serve as a divider-arm to separate the cut mass of vines or grain from the uncut portionsin the field, just as in the said prior patent.

The casing y, hereinbefore described, constitutes a clamp, and same may be somewhat varied in form or arrangement, if desired, it being only essential that the points or forward ends of the guards shall be held tightly in place by bolts between said clamps and castings.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with the finger-bar and guards of a mower or harvester, a series of castings, provided with longitudinal slots, shoes pivotally attached to the forward ends of said castings, and provided with backward-extending oblique arms with spring connections to said castings, and bolts longitudinally adjustable in said slots and provided with means for the reception of the points or forward ends of said guards.

2. In combination with the finger-bar and guards of a mower or harvester, a series of castings, provided with longitudinallyrecessed upper faces, and longitudinal slots therethrough, shoes pivotally attached to the forward ends of said castings, and provided with backward-extending oblique arms with spring connections to said castings; clamps or casings fitted to said castings, each clamp or casing having a hole therethrough; adjustable bolts, each bolt having a head and a central opening therethrough, and. a screwthreaded shank adapted to pass through said hole in the clamp or casing, and through the corresponding slot in the casting to which said clamp or casing is secured, for the reception of the points or forward ends of said guards, and nuts on each of said boltshanks for securing the same in place in the desired adjustment, whereby said castings are adapted for use in supporting the forward ends of said guards, irrespective of the length or angular projection of the latter.

3. In combination with the finger-bar and guards of a mower or harvester, a series of castings, with clamps supported on said castings, and held against lateral movement by the upper edges thereof, for receiving the points or forward ends of said guards, and bolts for securing said parts together.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, at Manitowoc, in the county of Manitowc and State of \Visconsin, in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM GATERMANN.

Witnesses:

E. G. NASH, PEARL SMART. 

